Wow, I know it's taking me forever to do updates, but I've had some serious brainstormingness for Night of the Butterfly, and I'm normally stuck for ideas with that story, so I haven't had a choice in what I need to update - priorities, eh? I didn't miss me own opportune moment! giggles because Jack Sparrow is her muse of thoughtful sillyness
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I'm 22 for a moment...
and she feels better than ever, and
we're on fire...
makin' our way back from Mars...
"Jack, ye know we're comin' up on port, don't ye?"
Jack turned his tanned face from the salty horizon, glancing at old Bootstrap. "Aye... I know..." he said quietly, looking away again. He wasn't at all happy about returning to London, he suspected the Crown had some sort of warrant out for his head, and he had all but begged on hands and knees to be able to stay on board Bootstraps beloved Siren, but his good friend and captain wouldn't allow it. "Face yer bloody fears, boy! S'not like they'll recognize ye!"
That was far from the truth, Jack looked as much like himself as he ever did, but he only nodded slowly, and a part of him was glad Bill was being so forceful about having him go. As much as he doubted she'd welcome him with open arms, his thirst for knowledge about his mother was eating him alive inside. He was determined to at least see her, no matter what the outcome - he only prayed it would be for the better.
'And Ziyn.... oh bloody hell, I hope she's still there...'
The girl he had loved so much in his childhood had become the woman of his dreams in his adult years. He could find no woman comparable, none fit to fill the void in his heart, but as much as he hated to admit it, he highly doubted that she would be the same Ziyn Addison, or at all happy to see him. He somehow doubted that she was still Ziyn Addison at all. 'No doubt is she married... happy little family... probably her mother's doing...' he had thought bitterly. He never really thought that she'd be allowed to marry him, but in his younger days, he wished they could could run off together, marry in secret, and live happily ever after - wherever they chose to live - until the end of their days. Things hadn't gone exactly as Jack planned, and he'd never admit it, but he still wished for it, when he was lonesome and thought of her.
The ship docked, Jack doing his share of work absentmindedly as his stomach churned, and he feared he would vomit from the stress of the situation. He didn't hear Bootstrap come up behind him, he was so involved in his own thoughts, and he jumped as the fellow pirate put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Jack... ye can go now..."
Jack looked over his shoulder, and then out at the town, almost shaking with fear.
"Righ'... I'll get righ' on tha' one, oh, yessirree, captain!" he bellowed sarcastically, and Bootstrap chuckled as he walked down the gangplank, leaving Jack alone on deck.
Taking a deep breath, Jack silently reassured himself. 'You're going to be fine... they won't recognize you... you will not be arrested...' he told himself over and over, almost chanting it, taking slow, heavy steps. He later on didn't remember going down the street, or stopping in front of the house that was once his home, he only remembered his mantra, and his hand on the doorknob as he stepped through the doorway.
The house now sat deserted, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, a thick coating of dust on the beautiful oak banister he remembered trying to slide down as a child. Running his hand up the banister, brushing away the dust, he glanced to the top of the stairs, as though it were a million miles away rather than only a few steps. He didn't know why he was drawn upstairs, obviously if the house was deserted, then his mother wouldn't be there. But he couldn't leave unless he knew for sure, and he climbed the last step, determined to do so.
Like he had known all along, her bedroom was also empty. As he pushed the door open, he was taken back to nine years ago, the night he fled London. There wasn't anything in the room, or the house for that matter, to give him a clue as to where she could be - he only hoped that she was at last happy.
He left the house, wiping away the few rogue tears that had formed before he stepped through the door. 'Don't do this to yourself, Jack... you knew she wasn't going to be there anyway...' And that was partially true - he had hoped she would've been there, but something in his heart had told him before he stepped foot on London soil she wouldn't be there.
With his hands in his pockets, Jack's footsteps and his heart were heavy as he headed back to the Siren. He didn't bother looking up from his feet, didn't feel like meeting anyone's eyes - until he walked into someone, knocking them over.
"Oh, are you alrigh'? Deepest apologies, miss..." he said, offering his hand to the woman who lay on the ground. She sat up, her face red with embarrassment and she took his hand in hers, standing up quickly. She shook her skirts, trying to brush the thick fabrics free of any dirt from the roads, but it appeared to be a hopeless cause - the roads were muddy from the recent spring rains.
He watched her, not able to take his eyes from her as she now tried to fix the bright red curls that had come tumbling from beneath her bonnet. He knew he knew her, this woman, this very beautiful woman, but from where? She glanced at him, looking away quickly, but looked back almost immediately, her hands dropping to her sides as disbelief flooded her face. "No... it can't be... you're dead, you're supposed to be..." She said in a whisper, swallowing hard. Jack quirked an eyebrow at her, and she laughed as tears begin to flood her eyes. "Oh my lord... it's you, it's really you!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. He quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back to get a good look at her face. "Miss..."
She looked up at him, her face going from pure happiness to confusion and hurt. "Jack, it's me... don't you remember? Ziyn?" She said, her voice cracking as though at any moment she could burst into heartbreaking sobs, but now it was Jack's turn to be hit with disbelief. "Good God, woman, look at you..." he breathed, and she smiled again, her tears pouring freely as he pulled her into another hug, squeezing as though he'd never let go.
They stood there like that, in a tearful reunion, hugging, laughing, crying - and this time, Jack wasn't ashamed if someone saw him cry. After a few moments, Ziyn looked up at him, staring into his eyes, watching him watch her. "Are you hungry? I'm going home to prepare dinner... we'd love to have you as our guest..."
Jack briefly wondered as to who else she was talking about when she had said "we", but was soon informed of what had happened with her family after he had left - her mother had passed away only a month after he had disappeared. "Horse and buggy accident... tragic, really..." she said, her voice a melancholy sweetness he would not soon forget. "Father had a stroke last year... I've been taking care of him ever since... I doubt he'll ever heal enough to go back out to sea, but I know that's where he'd rather be... instead of stuck here with me..." She mumbled the last part, looking away from Jack's line of vision, and he wanted to reach out, the hold her tightly, to kiss her, to tell her that he'd make everything better, that he would take her away - but he'd been away too long to spring anything on her this soon. It would have to wait.
"Did ye ever marry or anythin'...?" He inquired after a long period of silence. "No... I was arranged to be... but with Father's stroke, I simply couldn't leave him." She thought about it for a moment, then continued. "Nicholas comes around sometimes... but he hasn't lately, anyway..." Jack was too busy trying to hide his unequivocated grin to say anything, and she looked up at him from the corner of her eye. "What are you smiling about, Jack Sparrow?" she asked, pushing the door open as they walked into the house - it was not the house she had previously lived in. He looked around at the house, her question flowing in one ear and out the other.
The small cottage was in fact, a new sort of surrounding for him to see Ziyn in. She'd always been a member of the wealthiest family in their small corner of London, and never once did he imagine he'd see her here. But it was quaint, and comfortable, and he couldn't help but smile, thinking of how welcome he felt in her home.
"I'm home...!" she called, closing the door behind him as she took Jack's coat, smiling at him quietly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. He chuckled as she hurried into what was quite obviously her father's bedroom. He only caught tidbits of the conversation, and felt bad for wanting to hear the conversation, but she soon came out, a smile on her face. "He said it's fine that you stay for dinner... but I told him your name is Smith." Jack laughed again, and she couldn't contain her giggles. "So is Smith my first name or my last name?" He questioned, and she thought about that for a moment. "Last name. Your first name will be..." Another long moment of silence. "Jebediah. Jebediah Smith." He burst into another round of laughter, and she smiled. "And there, you can keep your initials at least." He nodded, smiling gratefully. "I appreciate that, Miss Addison."
She gestured to a cushy armchair. "Won't you make yourself at home while I make dinner?" He looked at her, then to the chair, then to her again. "Can't I sit in the kitchen with you? I do believe we've got quite alot of catching up to do..." She smiled softly, nodding, and he followed her, pulling up a seat on the floor, and they chatted away the rest of the evening, all through dinner, and late into the night.
"I'm givin' you my resignation, Captain"
A week had passed, and every day he had spent with Ziyn and her father, who had figured out the first evening he had been there that he was in fact, Jack Sparrow, and not this Jebediah Smith. It was as though no time at all had passed, he and Ziyn had never been closer, and he couldn't get the girl out of his head.
He also couldn't with good conscience leave her again.
"Wot are ye talkin' about, boy?! Ye can't resign, I need ye here!" Jack smiled at Bootstrap sadly, and at that point the Captain knew that it was futile - when Jack Sparrow makes up his mind, he does so indeed. With a sigh, Bootstrap nodded. "Will ye come back t' th' Siren? Ever?" Jack shrugged, a smile on his face. "Not sure, mate... like t' have my own ship one of these days..." Bootstrap chuckled at that. "Captain Jack Sparrow, how I cringe at tha' thought..." The two men laughed.
"I do have a favor t' ask you, Bill."
"Tha's 'captain' to ye..." Bootstrap cut in with a smirk. "At least until I decide whether or no' I'm lettin' ye do this to me... but wot is it?"
The next day, Jack put his plan into action. After Ziyn had left to check on her neighbor, who was bedridden with a broken ankle, Jack quickly rushed into Mr. Addison's bedroom, knocking softly. "Commee innn..." The man called, trying to raise his voice as loud as he could, slurring his words as he spoke. Jack poked his head in. "I've come to fetch you and your things." James Addisons face went from blank to partially confused and he would have raised an eyebrow were he of physical capability too. Unfortunately, the stroke had left the right side of his body paralyzed, and he could only change the look of his eyes. Jack continued. "Your things... your cloak... boots, maybe?" James raised his left arm shakily, extending a finger to point at the wooden wardrobe at the other side of the room. Hurriedly, Jack went to it, pulling them out, and then began to help the man dress. "Whaatt... areee you.... doinggg....?" He said quietly, and Jack looked up at him, smiling. "You'll see."
He helped the man into the wheelchair that Ziyn had purchased him, that she had told him her father never used, and it was apparent that he wasn't happy about what was going on. "Please... trust me, I've never given you a reason not too." James stared blankly at him, but his eyes softened a bit, and he nodded slowly - and with that, Jack wheeled him down to the docks, checking over his shoulder every so often for any sign of Ziyn, who wouldn't be returning to the cottage until late that evening.
James eyes light up with excitement and anticipation. "Ohh... beauty..." He murmured, and Jack chuckled. "Aye, she's quite a gem... I thought that since it's been so long since you've been on a ship, you could join us... makin' a short trip, we'd be back before Ziyn even knew we were gone... what do you say?"
The old man, crippled after his stroke, for once now looked alive and young and vibrant, and nodded with a vigor Jack didn't think he had in him. "Well, alright then..." And with that, Jack wheeled him up the gangplank. They sat at the bow for most of the day, staring out at sea, and every so often Jack would glance at the man beside him. James tilted his head up towards the sun, a smile on his face, his eyes closed, and the sight warmed Jack's heart - it killed him inside to wheel him back home, watching the man try to turn his head to look back towards the sea.
"Where have you been?!" Ziyn shrieked, throwing open the door before Jack had a chance to open it himself. He froze, looking into her wild green eyes, and she burst into tears, leaving Jack's mind to soak in its confusion as she hugged her father. "I was worried sick about both of you! You just up and left, not even a note?!"
'Knew I was bloody forgetting something...' Jack inwardly cursed himself as Ziyn threw her arms around his neck now, and he hugged back tightly. "I'm sorry, Ziyn... I really am... I took your father out for a little boat ride... didn't think you'd approve much." Ziyn's eyes went wide, and for a moment he was afraid she would slap him, but she only smiled widely. "Why wouldn't I approve that?!" she exclaimed, and hugged him again, grinning from ear to ear. He smiled softly, burying his face in her hair that fell around her shoulders, framing her pale face. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes, and hardly was willing to let her go when she pulled back. "Come in, you two... I'm sure your little excursion has left you both ravenous." She held the door open, Jack pushing the wheelchair inside and helped James into bed - he was really too tired for anything to eat, and he'd had a few biscuits on board the Siren, wanting to taste the life of a sailor again, and he'd said so - just not in so many words.
After she had found he was already sleeping soundly, Ziyn silently closed her fathers bedroom door, a smile on her face, holding the tray she had set up with his meal with her free hand. "He's already asleep... you really did him in..." she said with a small undertone of laughter. "Aye... well, that was the sea, it wasn't me... I didn't have anything to do it..." She smirked, setting the tray down on the table and sitting beside him. "Sure you didn't... you're guilty with every charge, Jack Sparrow, and you know it..." He looked at her, smiling. "Maybe, but the sea will cleanse anyone of their sins... I think your father finally made his peace..." Ziyn nodded slowly, and ever so gently, Jack took her hand in his.
A long, uncomfortable silence filled the room, so loud it pounded in their ears until they were smothered in it, the only noise being the crackling of the dancing fire in its hearth. Ziyn looked up at him suddenly, tears in her eyes, and he was shocked. "Ziyn, what is it...?" He whispered, hugging her tightly. She began to cry into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. "Why did you leave me here, Jack? I don't understand... you could've taken me with you..." She choked out, and he petted her hair softly as he rocked her, letting her cry in his arms. "I couldn't have taken you with me... you know that, Ziyn... doesn't mean I didn't think about it... or that I didn't have want to... I did... I did very much..." he told her in a whisper, and was finding it hard for him to contain his own tears. She nodded, pulling back as she wiped her eyes, smiling. "I know... I know... I feel so silly for crying like this... It's still all such a shock to me... I've played this in my head over and over, you know... praying you'd come back... that you'd take me away..." He smiled, blinking away his own tears, because he had hoped and prayed for the same thing every day he was away.
From nowhere, she crushed her lips against his, and his eyes snapped open in shock. But after a moment, he realized she was being sincere, and could hardly believe himself as he closed his eyes and kissed back. "Don't you ever leave me again, Jack Sparrow..." she whispered against his lips, and he nodded slowly, speaking in between kisses.
"Never, ever again... I promise..."
and she feels better than ever, and
we're on fire...
makin' our way back from Mars...
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Awwww, innit that special?! Church lady voice lol okies, so there, I've updated this, so have at it, you ravenous pack of dogs! Jack Sparrow voice lol whats up with all that? I think I should stop smoking crack - what do you guys think?
Always,
Heaven Marquin, The Bonnie Pirate Lass